iPhone 4S launches in over 20 countries
Electronista reports the iPhone has launched in 20 additional countries, including Bahrain, Brazil, Chile, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Morocco, Peru, the Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam.
With the sole exception of China, Apple has now launched its newest iPhone in all of its major markets. Electronista also points out that, as usual, many nations are paying incredible markups for Apple's products. Brazil is perhaps the worst example; the cheapest iPhone 4S, the 16 GB model, costs over US$1400 compared to $849 for the most expensive 64 GB model in the States. Electronista speculates the higher prices are a result of Brazil's high import duties, in which case it may well be cheaper for Brazilians to travel to another nation and buy the iPhone 4S elsewhere.
Russian prices are also quite high, starting at nearly US$1200 for a 16 GB iPhone 4S. I paid just a hair over US$1000 for a 64 GB iPhone 4S in New Zealand -- far more than I paid for the 64 GB iPad 2 I imported from the US -- but after seeing how much Russians and Brazilians are being asked to pay, I don't think I'll complain about my local pricing anymore.
